Many States have returnable beverage container laws which require the payment of a deposit on cans, such as beverage cans. Some of these laws provide that distributors may require retail stores to sort beverage containers brought to them for redemption.
Because of such laws, consumers typically bring in a random, unsorted collection of cans to a retailer in a bag or box.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,542,830 provided a storage rack for beverage cans which was readily easy to use, which faciliated the sorting of the cans by the consumer, and which was disposable. However, the rack of this patent did not provide for the easy discharge of the beverage cans from the rack into the retailer's collection bin. Furthermore, the rack of this patent did not appear to be reusable many times.
It is an object of this invention to provide a storage rack for beverage can which facilitates both the storing and the sorting of beverage cans by a consumer.
It is another object of this invention to provide a storage rack for beverage cans which facilitates an identification of the number and type of cans in the rack.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a storage rack whose contents can readily be discharged into a retailer's collection bin.
It is another object of this invention to provide a storage rack which, after beverage cans have been discharged from it, can be compressed into a smaller shape.